---Cobalt mansion 2 weeks later about to head back to Ponyville 3rd POV---
As Onyx came down the stairs, he was not surprised that his brother Emerald was all packed up and ready to go. He had already gotten his transfer papers to Ponyville hospital. What did surprise Onyx, though, was that his mother and father had packed a bag as well. "Mom, Dad, what are you doing?"
Ivory Cobalt was the one to answer his son. "Your mother and I are coming with both to see the house and meet this young lady that you entered into a courtship with."
Cherry Cobalt looked at her son. "I need to see if she is a good fit for you."
Onyx felt extremely nervous on the inside. He had not told his parents that Pinkie and her friends were the Elements of Harmony, and he knew that would not matter to his mother. If Pinkie was not a good fit for him, his mother would most likely attempt to end the courtship. "How long will you be staying?"
"We only have two weeks off." Ivory informed Onyx without a hint of hesitation. "During that time, we will be watching how you two interact with each other and how her friends interact with you."
"I am friends with a couple of her friends, but I have a couple of guy friends as well," Onyx informed them, slightly worried. "Is there any reason that you are doing this now?"
"I will not get another time off any time soon, so I want to get this done as quickly as possible. From what it sounds like, you two fit each other well. Her outgoing personality as well as her cooking balance you out." Cherry informed her son. "And maybe while we are there, we can find Emerald a courtship because he has shown no interest in a man or a woman."
Onyx quickly figured out what was really going on. His family was making sure that he was doing well inside Ponyville and that he was not lying about the place he was living in. Onyx sighed before nodding his head. "Want me to carry your bags, mom?"
"Would you, my dear, thank you very much." Cherry handed over the bags before grabbing her husband's hand and leading him toward the train station.
As Onyx and Emerald followed in the back. "You really want to leave the hospital where dad works at?"
Emerald looked at Onyx with dead-looking eyes. "Everything I do is scrutinized by him Onyx, way more than anyone of his other apprentices."
"I am so tired, and if the quiet life was good for you, it might be good for me. I am just about done with city life anyway. It is honestly terrible." Emerald explained with something close to exhaustion in his voice.
"Are you okay, Emerald?" Onyx asked, worried.
"Just really tired hopefully, the quiet life in Ponyville will allow me to rest," Emerald informed as he looked at their parent's back. "I really need this Onyx, I do not know why but I am just tired of working at the city hospital."
Onyx looked worried because for a pony to get tired while working their talent means that they are approaching something close to a mental breakdown from exhaustion. "How long has this been going on?"
"It started about 4 months ago, I thought that maybe it was because I worried about you, but it has not gone away," Emerald informed, already knowing what Onyxs' mind was thinking. "I do not know why I am so close to a breakdown."
Onyx looked especially worried because, with a breakdown so close, he will need to rest. "You need to rest and hopefully get better. How long till you restart work?"
"After I arrive, I have two weeks to get settled in," Emerald informed Onyx as they arrived in front of the train station. "Dad knows, and he is as worried as you are."
Onyx tried to think why he would be so tired before he had a thought and hoped he was wrong. Onyx secretly pulled out a Filth detector and pointed it at his brother. It popped positive, but it was with low corruption right now. It was still low enough that when they arrive in Ponyville, it would be destroyed. Onyx let a sigh of relief. "Probably stress."
Emerald looked at Onyx before sighing. "You still cannot lie for shit Onyx. I won't ask because you obviously know something."
"I will tell you in Ponyville because It is a secret," Onyx informed Emerald.
Emerald nodded his head, happy that there was an answer to why he was so exhausted. "Is it a terrible secret, Onyx?"
"Yeah, it is. It is terrible." Onyx answered his brother in melancholy.
"I would like to know as well, Onyx?" Ivory informed his sons that he had been listing.
"Understood, dad. You can tell no one about what you learn," Onyx informed his brother and father.
They nodded their heads before seeing the train to Ponyville arrive. Cherry quickly spoke up, getting her husband and son's attention. "Time to go, boys."
---Time skip arriving in Ponyville 3rd POV---
As the family got off the train, Onyx was surprised to see black smoke in the sky. Onyx let out a whispered. "Dragon smoke."
Onyx looked like he wanted to take off after dropping his bags at home and rush into town and look for someone that could tell him what was going on.
As his family stood there in shock before looking at the shocked Onyx. Emerald poked his brother. "Not normal, Onyx?"
"There is no way I would stay here if there was a Dragon in Ponyville that could spew out all that smoke," Onyx informed, looking worried before he sighed. "Let's drop off our bags, and I will look for Mayor Mare.
"We cannot rest at home, Onyx." Ivory and Emerald spoke up at the same time. Ivory looked at his boy, who was able to focus for the first time in a while. Emerald said for the first time with no exhaustion. "Point us at the Hospital Onyx."
Ivory looked at Cherry but was surprised to see her smiling at him. "I would not have married you if I did not know who you are."
Onyx looked at the town and pointed at a specific building that could be seen from the station. "Right there, that is the hospital."
They nodded before setting their bags down and stretching their bodies before they broke into runs. Emerald teased his father. "I will bet I will heal more than you, father."
"Maybe in another hundred years, boy." Ivory joked back as they disappeared.
"Let's get over to my home, mother." Onyx picked up their bags before his mother took hers back and her husbands with little to no trouble. Onyx's mother was a Forgemaster. Her talent passed on to Onyx but with Runes before she retired to raise her kids. Onyx sighed with a burst of slight laughter. "Still the same mother. Are you going to get back to work now that we are out of the house?"
"Been thinking about it," Cherry admitted before following Onyx for a short ten minutes. She looked up at the Manor house in thought. "You did well for yourself."
Onyx's smile could have lit up the moon as he dropped off the bags. He smiled at her before running off.
---Onyxs House Cherry's POV---
As my son ran off to most likely find out what was going on, I could not help the sigh that escaped my mouth. "My boys are becoming men."
As I looked at the bags, I decided to leave them for now while I explored and the best place to start the backyard. As I moved outside, I saw my son forge and quickly moved to it. As I entered, I could smell the forge soot and the charcoal, and I knew that I would go back to forging. I slowly picked up one of the weapons and flicked it while channeling some magic into my finger. While I listened to the ring, I could tell how many imperfections there were and its grade. "Master grade, 5 slight imperfections, and 1 major crack in the handle."
I quickly tested the rest and was proud that they were all master grade with minimal imperfections, with only a few with a significant problem. "He is nearly a master in weapon crafting, and he is still using Bog Iron like I told him too. When he is finally able to use a metal worth a damn, he will be one of the greatest smiths the world has ever seen."
I quickly picked up a toy and smiled than remembering the first time he created a toy, I had to get just as good at testing them as weapons because I would not let myself be miss informed about things that he pursued. As I flicked it, I listened to an heirloom ring out its song of perfection. I quickly tested the others and was surprised about the number of Heirloom grades before seeing a sign 'how many I made heirloom in a row: 7'. The smile that appeared on my face was straining my muscles. "He is pursuing the pinnacle in something."
'A toy was so much harder than a weapon because of the moving parts. My boy just cannot make a weapon to save his life.' I sighed in sadness and happiness because my boy was becoming something so few ponies could become, which meant he was growing up. I sighed before closing the forge up and nodding my head before moving my thoughts to the woman he was pursuing in courtship. 'This Pinkie better be a good fit for Onyx. I know it will hurt, but if she is not a good fit.'
---Time Skip Ponyville Hospital Emeralds POV---
I feel so much better just being in Ponyville that I have a guess what was wrong with me. I had an infection that was eradicated by being near someone. A magical illness, not physical, required something special to destroy. I slowly organized my thought while helping a child clear out the Dragon smoke. 'Onyx knows probably Rune Society knows about it most likely became fighters against it most likely destroyers of infected as well. The cure must be something new and special, if only location. Probably why Onyx is here, hoping to develop a cure based on information he can gleam can already tell what was doing to me. Mental fatigue led to darker thoughts and breakdown of psyche if infection continued most likely end… monster.'
I slowly spoke to my father about my thoughts before he answered, confirming my guess. He let out a melancholic sigh. "Most medical Ponies figure it out and end up alerting the Rune society if the cure is new and special. I know the most likely end of those ponies."
I could not help but grimace at the picture my father was painting because it could have been me. "Do you think Onyx would have done it?"
My father sighed as we rested from helping patients. "Yeah, I do, and he would have done it personally."
I smiled at that. "I am glad he would have done it quickly and painlessly as possible."
"The Rune Society always takes the hardest jobs and the dirtiest. It is pretty much an open secret amongst the upper management of unicorn society that they fight against something and protect Equestria." My father sipped at his soup in sadness. "I used to hate them, you know."
I was surprised by my father's confession before looking at his eyes and seeing the truth. "I thought of my own son a monster before I discovered the secret for myself that they fought the hardest for us to go about our lives like there are no monsters out there. Now I know they are also fighting to find a cure for a magical sickness that I did not know existed."
"You know your mother, and I never had more kids because of how I considered your brother when he developed his talent for runes. I thought of him as a monster." Dad admitted with tears in his eyes. "I think he knew, but he never hated me for it, and that hurt me more than I could ever admit. All he did was try harder to make me happy."
I listened to my father confess a sin he carried deeper than anything he ever wanted to admit. "What made you change your opinion?"
"He brought his first toy for me, hoping for something, I guess, and I looked at it, and all I could see was a twisted thing that did not belong with Harmony. I nearly threw it at the wall before I realized what I was about to do to the son that I had raised. That I was supposed to protect. It was his first toy, and I keep it to this day in a safe at home." Dad admitted the darkness in his chest. "When he did not send a message for those 9 months, I thought that I had finally driven him away somehow and that I was never going to see him again."
Dad slowly took a drink of his milk and sighed. "Do not make the same mistake I did, Emerald. Be there for him."
"Of course, dad." Dad looked about, ready to burst into tears.
"Let's get back to healing. Maybe I will save enough souls to save my own." I watched my father slowly heal someone and realized that he would probably never be able to let his demons go because he created them himself.
---time skip 3rd POV---
Onyx sat with his family around the table and felt that the atmosphere was really awkward for some reason. "Everything alright."
They nodded their heads before Ivory looked at Onyx and decided to ask. "What was your brother sick with?"
Even Cherry looked curious before Onyx let out a sigh. "Let me explain to you about the Filth…"